Improving Waste Management among Grade 5 Pupils through Integration of Three-Dimensional Art Book (3-Dab) in Teaching

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

An additional feature of K to 12 grade five science curriculum requires pupils to recognize the importance of waste management methods (known as 5Rs). They would learn basic means of collection, segregation, and application of appropriate methods to various waste materials. Research literature, however, show that few studies have been conducted to expose students to a contextualized and localized teacher-made instructional material to evaluate their classroom performance. Enthused by the absence of empirical proof, this study was conducted to improve the competency in waste management of grade five students after the 3-Dimensional Art Book (3-DAB) was integrated.

METHODS

Using the experimental method design, 53 students enrolled in Perpetua R. Sandiego Elementary School were used as respondents. They were made to undergo multi-method assessment procedures such as demonstration teaching, summative tests, perception surveys, and interviews. Twenty-three students were assigned to an experimental group while 24 students were assigned to a control group. Students were classified randomly.

RESULTS

Results show an increase in post-test scores of the experimental group after two weeks of exposure to 3-DAB having gathered a mean score of 24.66 compared to the control group’s mean score of 18.0 who simply underwent the traditional approach of teaching. It shows that 3-DAB helped pupils strengthen their comprehension with motivation and confidence. The delayed-post-test of the experimental group‘s mean score of 23.38 suggests that 3-DAB was effective in terms of retaining student's grasp of the concept. Little improvement was observed in the control group which started with a mean score of 16.17. Interview responses from selected students have a common theme as they manifested interest and enthusiasm in the lesson.

DISCUSSIONS

The results show a significant effect on students exposed to 3-DAB in terms of the summative test and their learning experience. Similar researches on conceptualization and design of instructional materials can be very useful if these are wisely designed and implemented to build a firm, concrete model for abstract or experienced-based science concepts. Quality of paper used and replicability, as suggested by experts, must be considered by educators who would want to pursue another design of instructional material excluded in this study.